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Main opposition to hold runoff next week to pick new leader

Published: 22 Aug. 2025, 20:16 Updated: 22 Aug. 2025, 20:50

Candidates running for chair and Supreme Council positions in the People Power Party pose for a group photo during the party’s 6th national convention at Cheongju, North Chungcheong, on Aug. 22. [JUN MIN-KYU]

No candidates secured a majority at the main opposition People Power Party's (PPP) convention on Friday, forcing the party to hold a runoff vote next week to pick its new leader.

Former Labor Minister Kim Moon-soo and Rep. Jang Dong-hyeok, a close ally of ousted President Yoon Suk Yeol, advanced to the runoff after failing to secure a majority at the convention, as the embattled party struggles to rejuvenate its image following Yoon's botched martial law bid.

The two contenders will face off in a final televised debate on Saturday before the runoff vote on Sunday and Monday.

The new party leader will be confirmed next Tuesday.

The PPP's national convention comes amid lingering internal strife after the failed declaration of martial law by Yoon, who is standing criminal trials on insurrection charges and was a member of the conservative party until his departure in May, following the Constitutional Court's decision to uphold his impeachment in April.

A new leader to be elected later at the convention will be tasked with guiding the party ahead of next year's local elections.

With the party convention taking place after Yoon's removal from office, the candidates' stance on Yoon's impeachment is expected to be a decisive factor in the leadership race.

Kim and Jang both opposed Yoon's impeachment, while the other two contenders who failed to make it into the runoff — Reps. Cho Kyoung-tae and Ahn Cheol-soo — had supported Yoon's impeachment.

A recent survey conducted on PPP supporters showed Jang leading with 33 percent, followed by Kim at 30 percent. Ahn and Cho lagged far behind at 8 and 7 percent, respectively.

At Friday's national convention, four members — Rep. Shin Dong-uk, PPP spokesperson Kim Min-soo, and former lawmakers Yang Hyang-ja and Kim Jae-won — were elected to the party's Supreme Council, while Rep. Woo Jae-jun was elected to the party's youth leadership.

The convention is seen as a pivotal moment for the PPP, with eyes on whether pro-Yoon or non-Yoon figures are elected to the party's leadership, which observers say could affect whether the party sinks further into decline or manages to stage a political rebound.

A recent opinion poll showed that the approval rating for the PPP has remained below 20 percent for the seventh straight week.

Yonhap